UJ does the great outdoors

Whilst here at UJ we’re all about the ‘urban’, we’re also embracing our rural side. Wellies are becoming an office staple, Barbour jackets are still ravaging the high-street, and we’ve been spending our Sunday nights in with a roast – complete with a Markies’ chicken, straight from the idyllic-sounding town of ‘Oakham’. If only it weren’t just a nicked brand name. Humph.

Seems like this kind of PR jiggery-pokery is all the rage, drawing us in with country-cosiness and Best of British allure. Sure you could do the journey to Clerkenwell next week to check out new venture ‘North Road’, which promises scallops from Scotland, lamb from Cumbria, and beef from Galloway (with Danish Chef Christoffer Hruskova apparently lobster-potting in Dorset and deer-stalking in Suffolk) - or you could up sticks and go straight to the source.

A little over two hours out of London will see you checking into Devon Country Barns and one of three idyllic barns at Barbaryball (sleeping two, four or six), all with underfloor heating, wood-burning stoves, wi-fi, fully-fitted kitchens and the kind of roll-top bathtubs that’ll have you calling for a Victorian maid to jug hot water over your shoulders. We love the views rolling across fields and down to a river, with plenty of wildlife (as well as the owners’ dogs Jet and Fred) offering their own kind of warm welcome. The run up to Christmas includes trees and traditional home-baked German cookies in your cottage (as well as a plentiful supply of eggs from the on-site chooks). And should you want to venture out there’s a fantastic gastropub around the corner, plenty of walking opportunities around Dartmoor, and the lure of the Arundell Arms with its famous fly fishing facilities, horse riding and driven shoots.

And at least here you know that what you caught really came from the country.

Info
Devon Country Barns, Lifton, Devon, PL16 0AU.
From £180 for two nights and two people: Urban Junkies subscribers can claim a 20% discount by calling 01566 780 457 and quoting UJ.

North Road opens 15th November, 69-73 St John Street, EC1M 4AN

Rural Junkies is a new column on Urban Junkies recommending rural- chic escapes in the UK. If you have a stand-out luxury break/property for consideration, please get in touch here.

London’s cultural highlights this month

Nothing makes a November tick by slicker than a medley of booze, fashion, art and a smattering of great nights out at a few cracking gigs. Sure now, with Christmas already beating on out radars and the nights drawing tightly in, might seem like to snuggle down with deadly combo of sofa and remote control… But wrap up warm and treat yourself to this month’s UJ cultural recommendations your efforts will be richly rewarded. We promise. Cross our hearts and hope to see you there.

Read the Culturist…

DRINK – Sensibly, sustainably with Bombay Sapphire's Cardboard Cocktails. 11am-12pm, Saf Bar and Restaurant, 152-154 Curtain Road, EC2A 3AT. £10 per cocktail.

LAUNCH – London's much-loved Mexican restaurant, Wahaca, opens another branch in Soho. Tomorrow, 12pm-11pm, Wahaca, 80 Wardour Street, W1F 0TF. Free.

WARM UP – with a tasty 3-course meal at Pizza East on Meatball Tuesdays. 12pm-midnight, 56 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ. £15 per person.

EXPERIENCE – ENO Club and UJ Wine Chap's Wine and Truffle Dinner at Polpo. 7pm, Polpo, 41 Beak Street, W1F 9BS. £85.